In the under-construction Arroyo Crossing subdivision just south of Moab, dozens of people bustle in and out of 17 houses in various phases of construction. Some are just framed skeletons, others have sheathing and metal roofing, some have straw bale walls. Some of the people are residents-to-be working on their own and their neighbors’ homes through sweat-equity programs … [Read more...]
Moab—500 Tourists for Every Resident
Moab's Tourists Moab, UT—Back in February, Moab’s City Council imposed a moratorium on new construction of overnight rentals. Despite room rates fetching upwards of $300 per night, the town that is home to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks wants to attempt to put the brakes on the growth they have experienced hosting nearly 3 million tourists in the town of around 5,500 … [Read more...]
Utah’s Unaffordable Housing
Welcome to Utah Housing Utah’s real estate market has softened. Average house prices aren’t increasing in urban areas. Bidding wars are decreasing; the amount of time homes are on the market is increasing; and by all measures, our real estate market is still booming. Vineyard, in Utah County, is the city with the most growth. In the past four years, the population has seen … [Read more...]
Downtown SLC Building Boom: The New Face of Downtown Examined
On a typical week day, 23-year-old Mason Medart hops on the first Trax train to his investment research job at Goldman Sachs, puts in up to 16 hours, then works out at the rooftop gym at 4th West Apartments, and sometimes catches the sun setting over the mountains. A transplant from St. Louis who went to college in Dallas, Medart is happy with his life since moving to Salt … [Read more...]
Utah’s Revolutionary Approach to Solving the Homelessness Problem
Utah has been in the news recently for the historically conservative state’s surprisingly liberal approach to solving their homelessness problems: the state’s government has been providing homeless people with permanent housing. Through the program Housing First, Utah places chronically homeless people, meaning people who have been without a home for at least a year or who … [Read more...]
Mini Houses Offer Some Big Advantages
Utah Stories examines the growing popularity of the U.S. mini-houses compared to European dachas and cottages. One hundred square feet of living space would cause McMansion owning suburbanites to cringe. However, urbanites who might already be accustomed to somewhat smaller quarters, are finding these little places quite appealing. The photos of these homes show a life … [Read more...]